Oxygen levels on Mars continue to rise, contrary to all theories

Despite the fact that humanity in the person of NASA and ESA has been studying Mars for a rather long time, some important and sometimes just amazing details related to the atmosphere of the Red Planet elude it. For example, in today’s new report on the Curiosity research rover, which continues to work on the surface of Mars, the NASA team revealed the fact that the oxygen level on Mars continues to increase, literally firing from the general atmosphere. And this phenomenon at this stage, scientists are trying to explain mainly through the theory of changes in the gases of Mars according to a particular time of the year.

To begin with, it is worth clarifying that the atmosphere of Mars itself mainly consists of carbon dioxide, which makes up about 95% of the atmosphere – of which about 2.6% is occupied by molecular nitrogen and 1.9% argon. But molecular oxygen is allocated only 0.16%, but NASA scientists recently discovered using the same Curiosity rover that wave temperature fluctuations on the planet’s surface directly affect the composition of these substances in the atmosphere.

Using a sufficiently effective and multi-functional instrument on board the rover called Sample Analysis at Mars – or SAM for short – the Curiosity team was able to establish a direct relationship between the time of year and oxygen fluctuations in the planet’s atmosphere. Moreover, according to recent observations, the oxygen level rises inversely with the increase in the level of specific nitrogen, which is still a chemical mystery, which still remains to be overcome and to collect as much data as possible.

It is worth noting that at this stage the team of researchers on the Curiosity project is dealing with slightly different issues and directions, however, we can say for sure that it will simultaneously monitor the ongoing changes in the atmosphere of Mars. There may probably be several correct answers to the question of why the atmosphere of Mars becomes somewhat more “friendly” to carbon life forms.